if you have a look in the for sale section , you can pick up some good deals on there for all sorts of stuff. might be worth while having a look

yip, even a good Furuno FCV 620 can be picked up for that kind of money. Nothing wrong with pre-loved goods... :-)

I use a garmin 551s as my gps you can pick them up for $850 they are a combo unit but the screen is a bit small to split and for my fish finder i use is a jrcff60 you can pick them up for $1450 (from brisbane) with transducer. both great units. i would stay away from lowrance units as they a producing throw away units as when the warrenty runs out they will not fix it as there surpport is total useless. happy huntting.

thanks rocky

just about get a Furuno 620 for that dosh, now that'd be the go.

I would honestly go for a new unit, both the Lowrance HDS5X and the FCV620 are awsome units. The 620 lacks resolution which is its downfall but a bloody good sounder. Why buy someones problems and if its out of warranty your buggered. The HDS5X sells for around $800 and the FCV620 for $1300. Speak to the guys at All Boats Kingsley and they will advise you which way to go as they do both brands inc Garmin. Im a Lowrance person myself but the Furuno is a damm good unit too, so if you want to spend a few more bucks you wont go wrong, if your on a budget the Lowrance will certainly NOT dissapoint ya.

Spend another $300 and get the Furuno FCV 620. Ryan (owner of Oceanside) has the same unit on his northern boat and rates them highly, good resolution too.

We have them for $1299 with transon mount transducer (600w), worth spending the extra, you wont look back.

the furuno are a great sounder but if you are going to spend the money i would have a look at the jrc ff60 finder. not many people have herd of them as they are very big in the commerical boating world. i would compare the both of them and then make up your own mind as a fish finder is very important part of equipment in the fishing world.

Yes i agree the furuno is awsome unit @ $1299 down at All Boats inc 600watt transducer, but you want something under $1000 and the HDS5X is only $799 with a 600 watt dual frequency transducer 50/200khz. Resolution on Lowrance is 480 x 480 pixels and the furuno is only 240 x 320 nearly half less than the Lowrance. if your only fishing in depths up to 50mt even to 100mt the Lowrance will not dissapoint and will give a few bucks change too to spend on some more tackle needed to catch those fish. Anyways go see the guys at All Boats and they will surely advise you on what you need and tell em your a fish wrecked member and you might get some promo freebies!!

Resolution is only half the story.  Like megapixels in a camera - more is not always better.   I'd go the Furuno (well I did anyway). 

I bought from O/S under $1k with transducer delivered, though it's probably worth chipping in the extra to buy local and have a hassle free warranty. 

I don't have any experience but I have heard Koden do a very good sounder at a good price.  I think someone was telling me that they outclassed the other major brands in all aspects for about the same price.  I know nothing about Koden (or any brand for that fact) but it wouldn't hurt to do a bit of a google and a bit of research???  Good luck!

Resolution does make a difference especially when your trying to distinguish bottom and structure even more so when you zoom in onto it it doesnt go all blurry and distorted.High definition screen reveals every detail. And yep the Kodens are good too, commercial gear they are. But not cheap.

I have a Lowrance x85 and am also thinking of upgrading.

I havent looked at any other brands yet, but the Lowrance HDS 5x looks good, and was about $599 last time i looked.

The Furuno 620 seems to be highly regarded by alot of people, and goes for about $1200 with the transducer.

The pixel count to me seems to be a set back for the Furuno, espescially comparing the price.

I havent done any groundwork yet on which to buy as i work away, but i will be when i return to Perth.

Either way you go the Lowrance HDS5x and the Furuno FCV620 are good units for deoths up to 100mt but the Lowrance has twice the pixels so for better bottom discrimination and showing structure and fish seperation its a winner 75% of the time, but if your keen on spending a bit more the Furuno is awsome. The lowarnce i have avail for $779 with 50/200khz and the Furuno FCV620 is $1300 with tdcr. The X85 was a good unit and the HDS5x is the same but colour on steroids!

I see GME have released a new range of sounders and combo's.

Anyone seen them in action?

( G142FD G-Fish Digital Fishfinder )

I have played with the Lowrance HDS5x in the shops, seems full of gimicks and flash spinning menu's to me.

The Furuno FCV620 seems to be going up in price????

Is the resolution on the 585 a lot better than on the 620 on a pixels per square inch sort of basis?

I read somewhere that there was no difference between the 585 and 620 aside from the screen size and ability to run a 1kw tranny on the 585?

I see no one has mentioned a humminbird 700 series here. a 785 or 795 i think they are. I was tossing up between one of these and a lowrance. does anyone have a thought on those. same deal, around a $1000.